Dear Parents and First Graders,
Welcome to First Grade! I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing summer. I cannot wait to hear about all the memories you made this summer!
My name is Mrs. Bower and I will be your first grade teacher. This is my eighth year teaching in Attleboro and my sixth year teaching first grade! I love all the learning and activities we do in first grade! I am sure you will love first grade, too. We have an exciting year ahead of us that will be filled with lots of learning and growing.
I can’t wait to meet you and learn all about you… Here is some information about me: I have a daughter named Carly, who is two. Over the summer we spent a lot of time at the beach, Patriot Place (which she calls “Papa work”), jumping in Bounce Houses, and learning her letters and numbers! I am married to a wonderful man named Mr. Bower, who is a financial analyst. That means he works with money and numbers all day long! He really loves math! Mr. Bower came into our classroom a lot this summer to help me set it up for you! In November, my family will be starting a new adventure as we welcome our son (Carly’s brother) into the world! But, to Carly she already has a brother… a doggy-brother! We have a dog, Rocco. He is almost 9 years old! When I am not in school, I am spending lots of time with my family. We enjoy having cookouts in our backyard and being outside as much as we can! Mr. Bower and I go to a lot of the Patriots games. We are very big Patriots fans! We even went to the Super Bowl two years ago!
Another thing you should know about me is that I LOVE technology. In our classroom we use it a lot! We have iPads and SMARTBoard that we use regularly. I am also big on communicating through technology. I have a website that I update almost daily. The link for our website is: http://mrsbowergrade1.weebly.com Here you can find more information on me, pictures, classroom wish lists, important first grade links and information, and reminders throughout the year. I strongly encourage you to visit the website – even bookmark it (save it to your favorites). I’ve already updated it for this school year – so please be sure to check it out.
In addition to this website, I also use a text messaging system called, "Remind." Remind is a free, safe, and simple messaging tool that helps teachers share important updates and reminders with students & parents. Subscribe by text, email or using the Remind app. All personal information is kept private. Teachers will never see your phone number, nor will you see theirs. I have a special code that you enter so that you can receive messages from me and if needed you can text me. I will never see your cellphone number and you will never see mine. It keeps it completely private.
I have already set up the Remind unique code for the upcoming school year. If you are a parent of one of my students, I strongly suggest you subscribe to my updates through Remind either with text messaging or emails. I am including the directions below.
To Join Mrs. Bower's Remind:
- If you have a smartphone, get push notifications by: open your web browser on your phone and type in the following link: rmd.at/bower1617 – then follow the directions to sign up.
- If you don’t have a smartphone, you can get text notifications by: text the message @bower1617 to the number 81010. If you have trouble with 81010 try texting @bower1617 to 781-257-2302
- If you don’t have a mobile phone, go to rmd.at/bower1617 on a desktop computer and sign up for email notifications,
There are a few things I would like to tell you about the first day of school. First, please remember that school starts at 8:15 AM and ends at 2:55PM. Before school on the first day, we will meet outside on the blacktop near the playground. Look for the sign that says “MRS. BOWER” and you’ll find me. Parents, we will say our goodbyes here and I will take the students up to our classroom to begin our school day. Please be aware that parents will not be allowed into the classroom/school to say goodbye to help your student transition better. We encourage a kiss and wave. Goodbyes are hard for you and your child the first week, so we try to make it as easy as possible. During this time on the blacktop, I will not be able to have long discussions with you as I will be responsible for ensuring all of my students are where they need to be. I promise I am not trying to be rude!
The first day of school will be an exciting and busy day so please remember to bring a snack and either your lunch or lunch money. Our classroom is very warm so please bring a bottle of water too. Please note: we are a PEANUT/NUT AWARE classroom. That means students cannot bring in snacks to the classroom that contain nuts/peanuts (these can be for lunch in the cafeteria).
Parents, I promise that I strive each day to make learning a fun and educational process for your child. However in order to achieve this I will need your help so we can make this year as successful as it can be! I feel that you and I are a team working together to assist your child in developing emotionally and academically. As the parent/guardian you are the most important person in your child’s life and the first (and continuous) teacher in your child’s life. If we work as a team and communicate, your child will have a very successful year! Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the year. Please feel free to send a note in with your student, send me an email [email protected]. I look forward to a great year and working together to help your child become the best first grade student he/she can be.
We will be learning about many interesting and exciting things this year. I can’t wait to get started and I can’t wait to meet you!
Your First Grade Teacher,
Mrs. Bower